LONDON — A British lawmaker’s chief of staff quit in a spectacular series of tweets on Tuesday by apparently taking over the politician’s account and referring to him as “morally bankrupt.”
The Twitter tirade on Member of Parliament Jared O’Mara‘s account is signed off with “Consider this my resignation” by Gareth Arnold. But before quitting, Arnold first accuses the politician of wasting opportunities his constituents “dare not to even dream of” and calls him “selfish, degenerate.”
Arnold told the local British newspaper the Star that he decided to quit in a public fashion because “I could no longer stand by and watch a man engage in such depraved behavior.”
His tweets used harsher language.
“I cannot and will not defend you and your vile, inexcusable contempt for the people who voted you in,” he wrote.
Arnold also tweeted that he feared other staff would quit as well, forcing O’Mara to close his constituency office and leaving residents with no support.
In the interview with local media, Arnold said that O’Mara, an independent MP, was “not wanting to do the job. I think if anything he would be happier if the constituents didn’t exist.”
O’Mara has faced controversy for being frequently absent from British parliament, including during Brexit votes. He has said his absences are the result of health problems.
O’Mara was formerly a representative of Britain’s opposition Labour Party, but became an independent last year after being suspended over allegations he made homophobic and misogynistic comments online years prior to his election.
The Star reported in April that the MP had shut down his constituency office after firing all his staff and that a new team would be installed over the subsequent weeks.
NBC News did not immediately receive a response from O’Mara. The tweets were removed from his timeline by Wednesday morning.
Shortly after the tirade, Arnold tweeted on his personal account a screenshot of a notification that he had been logged out of the MP’s account. He went on to say he planned to take the next few weeks “to work out what the hell I’m going to do with my life.”
His Twitter account has since been taken down due to “unusual activity.”
NBC News was not able to immediately reach Arnold.
Before his account was restricted, Arnold did have a few kind words to share about the MP.
“The Jared I met all those years ago was a kind, compassionate and motivated person who wanted to fight injustice,” he wrote.
In a subsequent tweet, he said, “I hope in the future one day I have that friend back.”
